A Kenyan woman working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 100 lashes by the Saudi Arabian court for giving birth outside marriage.
The woman, identified as Muthoni, was reportedly sentenced in October, according to an investigative report by The New York Times.
According to reports, the Kenyan woman, who was working as a domestic worker in the country, became pregnant following a relationship with an Egyptian boyfriend.
She gave birth in August 2025 in staff housing before being taken to the hospital. Police allegedly detained her for questioning about the pregnancy.
According to Muthoni, the boyfriend had reportedly left the Kingdom, leaving her and her son suffering without shelter after they were kicked out of the house they were in.
She found herself stranded and helpless, living at a petrol station with her son as she tried to return to Kenya.
She was later charged with giving birth outside marriage, before a three-judge panel at a criminal court in Riyadh sentenced her to 100 lashes.
Saudi Arabia is governed by strict Islamic Sharia Laws, which consider any sexual relationship outside a legally recognised marriage a criminal offence known as zina.
For unmarried women, becoming pregnant or giving birth without a marriage certificate is often treated by authorities and hospitals as automatic proof of zina.
